In a historic and unprecedented move, King Charles III has stripped his brother, Prince Andrew, of all remaining royal titles and honours, and ordered him to vacate his Royal Lodge residence amid mounting public pressure over his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In a statement on Thursday, Buckingham Palace announced that the King had “initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew.” Following the decision, he will now be known simply as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, without the “Prince” styling.
The 65-year-old royal has also been instructed to relocate from his longtime home, Royal Lodge, to private accommodation, ending his formal association with royal privilege.
The King’s action marks one of the rarest disciplinary measures in modern royal history. The last time a British prince was stripped of his title was in 1919, when Prince Ernest Augustus lost his titles for siding with Germany during World War I.
The move follows renewed outrage over Andrew’s past friendship with Epstein and the release of a memoir by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who accused Andrew of sexually abusing her when she was 17. In her book, Nobody’s Girl, Giuffre describes three encounters with the royal, alleging that he acted as though “having sex with me was his birthright.”
While Andrew has repeatedly denied all allegations, emails published earlier this month revealed that he remained in contact with Epstein far longer than he had previously admitted.
In 2022, Andrew settled Giuffre’s civil lawsuit in the United States, paying millions without admitting wrongdoing but acknowledging her suffering as a victim of sex trafficking.
Buckingham Palace stated that the King’s decision was made to protect the integrity of the monarchy.
“These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him. Their Majesties’ thoughts and sympathies remain with the victims and survivors of abuse,” the statement read.
Giuffre’s brother, Skye Roberts, welcomed the move, calling it a symbolic victory for his late sister, who died earlier this year.
“An ordinary American girl brought down a British prince with her truth and extraordinary courage,” he said.
Andrew, who once held the titles Duke of York, Earl of Inverness, and Baron Killyleagh, will also lose his Order of the Garter and Royal Victorian Order honours. He is expected to relocate to a smaller property on the Sandringham Estate, where the King will reportedly provide him with limited private financial support.
